Ocean Eyes and Home Coming
by Shmehua1
Summary: Akko just wanted to touch the ocean. Diana has always been a homebody.
1. Chapter 1

Akko just wanted to touch the ocean.

That's what happens when you grow up near the beach. You fall in love with the cool ocean blue, the sweet smell of salt water, and the sounds of water flowing over the sandy shore. You fall in love with the gentle ebbing of water on the shore and the feeling of thousands and thousands of little grains of sand running back to the ocean beneath your feet. You even fall in love with the most tumultuous of days, where massive waves crash against rocks and consume everything in its path, the way the ocean roars into the dark sky and demands to be heard, to be felt by the earth, and to remind everything its raw power.

The ocean, as calm and beautiful as it might be, will still drown you with absolute vigor if you're not careful.

Sure, Akko could maybe go to the ocean. Not that Great Britain wasn't pretty much a group of islands.

But it was different nonetheless.

Funny how you could grow up around something so familiar your entire life and still see it from a different perspective just by moving to a different place.

She was also here for school, a strict one at that. She just couldn't go off to the beach after class like how she did in middle school. There was homework to be done, studying to catch up on, and being a walking landmine meant having a close eye on here at all times. Luna Nova staff made sure that Akko wouldn't be left to her own devices for too long.

Of course, Luna Nova was beautiful in its own way. From the lush rolling green hills during the spring and summer, all the way to the fiery colors of changing leaves to the fall, and to the winter wonderland the academy took during the winter. But it just wasn't the ocean. It didn't quite do it for Akko.

It's been years since she was able to sit on her surf board and watch the sunrise over the ocean horizon and feel the bob and roll of the waves under her. It was one of the few things she would willingly wake up early to. She called it 'dawn patrol'. Every day, Akko would wake up before the sunrise and grab her surf board and head out to the sea shore. And after a blinding display of lights striking the clouds over the horizon causing a plethora of colors Akko didn't even know was possible, it would feel like the world really did fall apart.

Akko was always the extrovert, but with all the drive in the world, even the brunette needed gas every now and then.

This was her time, and no one could take this from her.

And like clockwork, from sunrise to sunset, Akko would surf the rest of her time away. It would be the closets she would get to walking on water.

Now, at Luna Nova, Akko had to find some sort of vice. A way out from the world. She secretly learned to turn the lake water near Luna Nova into sea water, just so she could have a taste, a quick whiff of the salt water. Much like most situations in her life, Akko would dive head first into the altered water, just so she could keep the smell of salt water in her hair. Sometimes Professor Pisces would join her, she never knew the professor also appreciated the deep blue sea.

But again.

It just wasn't the same.

If she was lucky, she would dream of oceans. Miles of it. As far as the eye could see. But morning would come, and cast the sweet dreams away.

She had just come back from a quick dip in her sea water lake as she made her way around Luna Nova. Professor Pisces opted out of this session this time, something about having to grade papers, and something that Akko was thankful for. She wished she could have stayed longer since it was the weekend, but people would ask about her pruning fingers and slightly reddened eyes. Lately, her mind seemed to be tossing and rolling like choppy waves on a rough day.

She gave up trying to understand what it all meant, why she seemed to always have some inner turmoil, why she was so frustrated all the time, and why it felt like her smiles were more of disguises now.

Maybe she was just homesick. Maybe she needed the ocean, maybe she needed to lay in the sand. Or maybe she was just stuck in the current and needed to go with the flow until she could just swim back to shore.

"Akko?"

There she was.

Standing in the middle of the hallway, with the setting sun light surrounding her like some perfect anime character, or something like that. Maybe like that famous painting of Aphrodite in the clamshell. Yeah, that's about right.

And Akko was caught in the current, slipping deeper in the riptide, and being pulled into deep, deep waters that was Diana Cavendish. The ocean was truly unpredictable.

Diana had hair like the sunrise striking clear waters. The bright rays casting a light to create an ethereal golden foam and somehow weaving into shallow blue. It flowed gently down her shoulders like waves on the calmest of days. Akko often wondered what would happen if she ran her fingers through such hair. Would it stream through her fingers like the water ebbing back to the vast body, or would it brush against her skin like the sand escaping her grasp?

She had those eyes that could just see right through you. Some would describe it as cold like an arctic blue, and most would freeze beneath such an icy gaze. But not Akko. Those eyes were just focused, and clear with intent.

They weren't cold at all.

Blue eyes that were even prettier than the ocean itself on the best of days. The kind of blue that Akko would dive in and drift to the bottom just to lay on the sand and look to the rays of sunlight trying to break through the surface.

"Is everything alright?" Diana cocked her head to the side in genuine concern. Her eyes softening and Akko felt herself be dragged deeper by the undertow.

"Yeah… I'm fine now." Usually, Akko was good at keeping some sort of composure, but she couldn't help the dopiest, love struck, grin stretching across her face at the sight of the blonde.

Thus, as the brunette took careful steps towards the blonde and reached out, Akko couldn't help but feel the excitement that came with running to the beach. She couldn't help the happiness and relief from the cold deep blue.

"Would you like to walk with me?" Akko asked, holding her hand out expectantly to the heiress.

A blush filled her cheeks, and although Akko couldn't think of anything related to the ocean when it came to such a deep red, she's never felt any closer to home. Even more than a salty lake. Diana gave a soft smile and grabbed on to Akko's hand.

"I wouldn't mind." Diana simply replied. Akko felt her hand mold perfectly with Diana's and felt the cool rush of an early morning wave crash over her.

Sure Akko, could escape the worst of currents. It wasn't particularly hard, she was a great swimmer, and could read such natural phenomenon's, but this was ok.

After all Akko was in love with the ocean.

* * *

**Not sure where I was going with this, but I was struck by something while taking a break and whatnot. Decided to just write. :D**


	2. Chapter 2

A homebody at heart, Diana has always loved Great Britain.

Not that there weren't any other interesting places out in the big world, there was just something about home.

It was the familiarity, the tradition, the ability to _know, _and be certain about a place.

Always completely loyal to her English heritage and her traditional upbringing. There was honestly no other place she would rather be. She was a proud English woman, and nobody could tell her otherwise. She was an avid Manchester United fan, she loved afternoon tea, and the endless historical monuments.

Not to mention all of her memories here as a child were some of the most precious moment Diana wouldn't even fathom forgetting. As a child, Diana would spend her winters playing in the snow with her cousins, picking during the spring with her Aunt, being taken to the beach with her father during the hot summer days, and cuddling close to her mother on cold winter evenings.

If there was anything Diana was more appreciative of; it was the ever-changing environment. From the plethora of infinite meadows and fields to the vast forest and lakes. Even the dreariest of weather wasn't enough to bring down Diana's mood. The rain was calming, the sun was always bright, the snow was always plush, the fall always brought in a light crispy air. It never failed to amazing Diana how much of a natural phenomenon the seasons were, how a single place could experience different climates within a year. If Diana didn't know basic sciences, she would have thought it was magic in the making.

The earth performing its own metamorphous.

This was home.

It was where her mother was born, her grandmother, great- grandmother, and so on. Generations upon generations of Cavendish woman originating to the roots of Beatrix Cavendish were born here. It's where Diana was born, and it's where she would like to have her final resting place when the time came.

Although Diana had planned to spend today in her room studying, she couldn't resist the opportunity to take a walk and bask in the sun. Autumn was in full bloom. The trees surrounding Luna Nova made quite the firework show with its variety of warm colors. An array of leaves littered the school grounds, ranging from fiery crimson to bright yellow.

It was warm enough to go without a sweater, but chilly enough to demand at least a cloak.

Another sun-soaked season about to fade away.

A thunder of footsteps grew as Diana continued to walk. She was about to turn around to see the perpetrators, but was quickly beaten when they ran past her. First a grinning Amanda, an annoyed Hannah, a sympathetic Lotte, and Barbara, and a relaxed Sucy, Jasminka, and Constanze. At any other time, Diana would have scolded her friends for disregarding the rules right in front of her. But much like the seasons things had changed.

Instead, Diana smiled and turned her head to feign ignorance.

But it didn't take long for another set of footsteps to catch her attention. She's engraved this sound into her very being.

For educational purposes of course.

She needed to be able to tell this particular person's sounds at the drop of a pin. She would need to know if she was about to expect a bone crushing hug, or 'I blew something up and need help again' footsteps. Definitely not so that she could read exactly where the brunette was at all times. But either sound would be welcomed to Diana.

As the sounds grew closer, she expected the rambunctious brunette to blow past her, instead, they slowed. And Diana felt a tug on her arm. When she turned back around, she was met with uncanny, blazing crimson eyes. And despite seeing leaves much like the same color, Diana would swear she's never seen crimson in such a way before this girl.

"Hey there." Akko smiled. That same lopsided smile brighter than any summer sun. The hand Akko used to initially tug on Diana's arm lightly trailed down her arm to her wrist, causing shivers to run down her spine more than any wind chill.

Akko was a natural phenomenon, and magical all at the same time. It was fascinating, and as studious as Diana may be, it was just a puzzle she couldn't solve. But most marvels were.

"Hi." Diana finally breathed out.

Another smile. Softer this time, like the warmth of a well lit hearth on a cold winter day.

"Come with me." Akko gently tugged again.

"Where?" Diana cocked her head to the side. This wasn't a part of her plans; she initially had no intention to leave her room in the first place. And honestly, where could they go? It wasn't break, just a weekend afternoon. Why would she want to go anywhere else than here?

Akko just shrugged her shoulders, as if the answer was simple. "Does it matter?"

The answer must've been that simple, because instantaneously Diana couldn't think of a better one.

No. It didn't matter. Not one bit.

This is where she would start to run, to chase. Because she would be with Akko.

Diana wanted to take her out anywhere she wanted to go. She wanted to travel and see the lights.

She wanted to drink in America, and dance in Spain. She wanted to dine in Greece, and walk through Brazil. She wanted to bike in Italy, and sail in New Zeland. She wanted to swim in the bluest seas, and climb the tallest mountains. She wanted to shout out from the top of the Eifel tower in Paris and let the world hear them.

Let the world know that she was here, and there, and that she was with Kagari Atsuko.

She wanted to chase her love far and wide.

So, without further ado, Diana threw propriety out of the window. The heiress stepped forward, loosening the tension, so that Akko wouldn't have to tug on her sleeve. Not that the brunette really needed to do much coaxing to get Diana to follow. Not anymore.

Once the tightness was gone, Akko released her grip and grinned.

"Ready?" Akko spun around and took off in another direction. Not in the same way all of their friends ran. After all, Akko was never a follower, whether it be traditions or her friends.

Diana started off with a light jog, but that just wouldn't do. Not with the brunette's athleticism and boundless energy. She needed to push her body to the same level of her desires if she was going to keep up, if she was going to stay within reach of the brunette.

So, she ran, she sprinted, she willed her legs to practically fly out from right under her. The thinning air wouldn't stop her. Not today or any day after.

She would go where ever Akko would go, and she would take Akko where ever the brunette would want to go as well.

It didn't have to be here, or there.

As long as they were together, Diana would always have a home with the brunette.

* * *

**My two cents for the year :D**


End file.
